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<h1 class="title">“Terrorists” Attack Housing Mission and Pre-School in
Venezuela</h1>
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<p class="byline"> By <span class="author">Ryan Mallett-Outtrim</span>
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<p>Merida, 2<sup>nd</sup> April 2014 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – The
headquarters of the Venezuelan government's housing mission and an
adjacent pre-school have been attacked by anti-government groups,
according to authorities.</p>
<p>Over one thousand workers were evacuated from the housing
mission’smain offices, after the building was engulfed in flames on
Tuesday afternoon.</p>
<p>The building is located in the Chacao municipality of Caracas, where
anti-government blockades and protests have been a regular affair since
mid February.</p>
<p>According to Minister for Housing Ricardo Molina, the blaze started
after a “group of terrorists attacked the front of the building,
breaking the windows”.</p>
<p>The attackers then “threw petrol bombs and set fire to the
building”, the minister told state broadcaster VTV.</p>
<p>“Our workers were at risk of dying...which shows the level of
insanity and fascism that these violent groups have reached,” Molina
stated.</p>
<p>In the early evening Vice President Jorge Arreaza announced that the
fire had been brought under control by the fire fighters and the
National Guard (GNB).</p>
<p>Among the evacuees were 89 children from an adjacent pre-school,
used by government workers. Arreaza stated that the children were aged
between 6 months and three years of age.</p>
<p>The vice president labelled the attackers “<em>guarimberos</em>”, a
term which refers to those creating disturbances, and is currently used
to describe opposition groups who have erected barricades in the
streets of at least six of Venezuela's major cities in the last two
months.</p>
<p>The GNB has made 27 arrests in connection to the attack. While
announcing the arrests, GNB Regional Command head Manuel Quevedo
slammed Caracas police for “complete absence” in neighbourhoods where
the arrests were made by soldiers.</p>
<p>“In the cases of Baruta and Chacao municipalities, there is no
authority, violent [people] stroll about comfortably ... [including]
the same people that we have fully identified at the site of the act,”
Quevedo stated.</p>
<p>The Attorney General's office and the criminal investigation body
CICPC are conducting further investigations, according to Quevedo.</p>
<p>“These are people who want to create a feeling of chaos in Caracas,”
Quevedo stated.</p>
<p>The housing missionis one of the Venezuelan government's largest
social projects. Launched in 2011, the mission aims to construct 3
million homes by 2019. Venezuelans living below minimum wage are
eligible to receive free housing under the mission, while low income
families receive heavy government subsidies for the homes.</p>
<p>The housing minister stated that preliminary estimates of damages
from Tuesday's attack equal the construction costs of 190 housing units.</p>
<p>On Tuesday night, President Nicolas Maduro condemned the attack, and
called on opposition political parties to engage in peace talks.</p>
<p>“Those who want peace are willing to talk any day, any time,” Maduro
stated.</p>
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